Vinterstare, Jerker
- Lund University
Abstract
Predator-inducible defenses constitute a widespread form of adaptive phenotypic plasticity, and such defenses have recently been suggested linked with the neuroendocrine system. The neuroendocrine system is a target of endocrine disruptors, such as psychoactive pharmaceuticals, which are common aquatic contaminants. We hypothesized that exposure to an antidepressant pollutant, fluoxetine, influences the physiological stress response in our model species, crucian carp, affecting its behavioral and morphological responses to predation threat. We examined short- and long-term effects of fluoxetine and predator exposure on behavior and morphology in crucian carp. Seventeen days of exposure to a high dose of fluoxetine (100 mu g/L) resulted in a shyer phenotype, regardless of the presence/absence of a pike predator, but this effect disappeared after long-term exposure. Fluoxetine effects on morphological plasticity were context-dependent as a low dose (1 mu g/L) only influenced crucian carp body shape in pike presence. A high dose of fluoxetine strongly influenced body shape regardless of predator treatment. Our results highlight that environmental pollution by pharmaceuticals could disrupt physiological regulation of ecologically important inducible defenses.
Keywords
antipredator traits; inducible defenses; phenotypic plasticity; psychoactive drugs; serotonergic system; SSRI
Published in
Ecology and Evolution
2021, volume: 11, number: 14, pages: 9435-9446
Publisher: WILEY
SLU Authors
Brodin, Tomas
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Global goals (SDG)
UKÄ Subject classification
Ecology
Publication identifier
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.7762
Permanent link to this page (URI)
https://res.slu.se/id/publ/112577